Current Obsessions: Beyond Black Friday

Here’s a roundup of what’s piquing our interest this week:

• The ultimate hearth? We think so: Orchard House in Sebastopol, California, via Dwell.
• The countdown begins; a DIY advent calendar from A Merry Mishap.
• Christine is looking here for gift inspiration for the eco warriors in her life.
• We approve: celebrities who garden.
• A prefab, flood-resistant home in Austria from Studio Wolfgang Tschapeller.
• Inspired by this trio of garage makeovers.
• Julie pinned this sheepskin bed cover. Furriness.

• In London, Amanda Cox of Nonesuch Things and Christina Wilson are hosting a gathering of Lovely Merchants upstairs at the Victoria Pub on Sunday from noon to 5:30 pm.
• We can’t help it: we’re scrutinizing Madonna’s $23.5 million NYC listing on the Upper West Side.
• Christine was there: annual Thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
• Sarah’s been perusing Wilder Quarterly’s Fall Issue.
• Kendra’s been catching up with News from Nowhere and admiring the Colt’s Foot in the Hedgerows.